Hot weather and high humidity, together with boredom, intolerance, anger and a general state of reluctance, lead to a decrease in concentration, loss of fluids and minerals.
Especially bipolar patients who use lithium in their treatment are advised to consume 2.5 or 3 liters of water. Experts warn that attention should be paid to sleep patterns as well as fluid consumption.
Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Mahir Yeşildal evaluated the effects of hot weather and humidity on mental health. Stating that the increase in temperature causes an increase in humidity, especially in seaside areas such as Istanbul, Dr. Yeşildal emphasized that this duo has two main effects on our mental health.
Pointing out that high temperatures cause stress on individuals, Dr. Mahir Yeşildal said, "Temperatures cause significant changes in people's psychology. When we go outside, we all feel bored, constricted and overwhelmed. This situation causes stress to increase and our stress hormones to increase. In other words, an increase in cortisone (one of the hormones secreted by the adrenal cortex) means an increase in adrenaline. While this causes an increase in anger in a way, adrenaline also increases as a result of the increase in these hormones."
Dr. Mahir Yeşildal stated that the loss of fluid and minerals caused by the heat brings a slowdown in movements, and pointed out that this situation leads to a decrease in attention, a state of boredom, and a general reluctance.
HUMIDITY DECREASES SLEEP QUALITY
Stating that the seasons have different effects on the mental health of individuals and that winter and summer cause different depressions on human psychology, Dr. Yeşildal said the following:
Due to the high temperature and humidity, summer is a period when people experience negative emotions more intensely. Extreme heat and increased humidity can lead to poor quality or irregular sleep. Humidity is a rising value especially at night, and with the increase in this value, irregular sleep is experienced in a row, which also reduces the quality of sleep. The main problem here is not the humidity, but the insomnia caused by humidity. People who spend the night without sleep, sweat every half hour and cannot complete their sleep cycles may have problems during the day due to insomnia. If a person is sleep deprived, they become angry, irritable, tense and cannot concentrate on their work."
PATIENTS USING LITHIUM SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO WATER CONSUMPTION
Dr. Mahir Yeşildal reminded that attention should be paid especially to fluid intake in summer temperatures and said that mineral liquids should be consumed together with water if possible.
Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Mahir Yeşildal reminded that drinking water alone is not enough to replace the minerals lost by sweating in summer and said, "Therefore, it is useful to drink mineral water such as soda water as well as drinking a few glasses of water during the day. Lithium, which is used especially for the treatment of bipolar patients or patients with chronic depression, is a drug and a substance that is absorbed and excreted from the kidney. Patients who use lithium during the day should definitely use 2.5 or 3 liters of water. However, with the summer season, fluid losses in our body become more. These losses occur through sweating and urine. But sweating can also cause a great loss of fluid. For example, during Ramadan, patients on lithium should not fast as the amount of fluid they will take will decrease. Especially in summer and hot weather, patients on lithium should increase the amount of fluid they consume. Lithium is a drug with a narrow safety range and this range is between 0.80 and 1. 2. But a very simple act of not drinking water causes lithium to rise above the upper limit of 1.2. This is something that increases trembling in the hands, dizziness. In other words, it causes the effects of the drug to be seen more frequently."
PAY ATTENTION TO FLUID CONSUMPTION AND SLEEP PATTERNS!
Stating that if this range exceeds a certain value, it can cause very negative side effects on the kidney, Dr. Mahir Yeşildal emphasized that these patients should definitely consume water and mineral fluids, especially in the summer months.
Dr. Mahir Yeşildal, who recommends taking a warm shower in the morning and evening during the hottest days of summer, made the following recommendations:
"People with psychiatric disorders may experience palpitations due to low blood pressure, fluid loss and stress in hot weather. Palpitations directly mean anxiety in psychiatric diseases. In other words, our patients with panic attacks or anxiety disorders, patients who use medication for this reason, need to comply with our previous recommendations more than other people. Because these patients are already extremely sensitive to the slightest change in their bodies, they need to know that palpitations, inability to breathe properly due to shortness of breath and panic attacks can be triggered in these people during the summer season. The most important way to prevent this is to pay attention to fluid intake and sleep patterns and to pay attention to sleep."